ST. LOUIS — In one sense, it was the Altoona Curve vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

For the first time, the Pirates’ entire lineup consisted of players who were groomed by the Double-A affiliate on their way to the majors. “It’s always fun to pay attention to those kind of things,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “When you set it all up like that, you go, ‘OK. Here we go. These are our guys — truly.”

The lineup included three rookies — Kevin Newman, Kevin Kramer and Pablo Reyes — who combined have about one month of big league experience. The only guy who got on the field who didn’t play for Altoona was closer Felipe Vázquez, who tossed the final two innings and clinched the 4-3 victory.

The Pirates have used 47 players this season, which ties them with the St. Louis Cardinals for fifth-fewest in the majors. Of those 47 players, 21 are wearing a Pirates uniform for the first time in their careers. Nine...